Habakkuk 1:5

Habakkuk 1:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
• New International Version (NIV)“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

Context of Habakkuk 1:5

3Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. 6I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands. 7They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like.

Habakkuk 1:5 word by word

רְא֤וּ בַגּוֹיִם֙ וְֽהַבִּ֔יטוּ וְהִֽתַּמְּה֖וּ תְּמָ֑הוּ כִּי־פֹ֙עַל֙ פֹּעֵ֣ל בִּֽימֵיכֶ֔ם לֹ֥א תַאֲמִ֖ינוּ כִּ֥י יְסֻפָּֽר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Beholdרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• ye among the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• and regardנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
• and wonderתָּמַהּtâmahh · to astoundedH8539
• will workפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
• a workפֹּ֫עַלpô‛al · workH6467
• in your daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• ye will not believeאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
• though it be toldסָפַרsâphar · to recountH5608

Cross-references for Habakkuk 1:5

• Deuteronomy 4:27For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive.
• Jeremiah 9:25“A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit—
• Jeremiah 25:14Many nations and great kings will enslave the Babylonians, just as they enslaved my people. I will punish them in proportion to the suffering they cause my people.”
• Isaiah 29:14Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
• Lamentations 4:12Not a king in all the earth— no one in all the world— would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem.
• Daniel 9:12You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem.
• Acts 13:40Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said,
• Isaiah 28:21The Lord will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed:
• Jeremiah 5:12“They have lied about the Lord and said, ‘He won’t bother us! No disasters will come upon us. There will be no war or famine.
• Jeremiah 18:18Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.”
• Ezekiel 12:22“Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: ‘Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.’
• Zephaniah 1:2“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
• Acts 6:13The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses.

Commentaries on Habakkuk 1:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Behold ye among the heathen - Instead of בגוים baggoyim, among the nations or heathen, some critics think we should read בגדים bogedim, transgressors; and to the same purpose the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic have read; and thus it is quoted by St. Paul Acts 13:41. But neither this, nor any tantamount reading, is found in any of the MSS. yet collated. Newcome translates, "See, ye transgressors, and behold a wonder, and perish." I will work a work in your…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Behold ye among the heathen - The whole tone of the words suddenly changes. The Jews flattered themselves that, being the people of God, He would not fulfill His threats upon them. They had become like the pagan in wickedness; God bids them look out among them for the instrument of His displeasure. It was an aggravation of their punishment, that God, who had once chosen them, would now choose these whom He had not chosen, to chasten them. So Moses had…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Look … observe: Two different Hebrew verbs are also translated as see and tolerate in Habakkuk 1:3. This creates a literary connection between Habakkuk’s questions in Habakkuk 1:3 and God’s reply in 1:5–11.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. Behold ... marvellously ... a work--(Compare Is 29:14). Quoted by Paul (Ac 13:41). among the heathen--In Ac 13:41, "ye despisers," from the Septuagint. So the Syriac and Arabic versions; perhaps from a different Hebrew reading. In the English Version reading of Habakkuk, God, in reply to the prophet's expostulation, addresses the Jews as about to be punished, "Behold ye among the heathen (with whom ye deserve to be classed, and by whom ye shall be…Read the comment

Topics related to Habakkuk 1:5

• Babylon
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions

In the dictionaries

• Possess
• Pure
• Scoff
• Wrong
• Habakkuk
• Judah, Kingdom of
• Marvel; Marvelous
• believe, believer, belief, unbeliever, unbelief

Commentaries on Habakkuk 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings